11 March

The Taliban and the US continue to work out the logistics of implementing the peace deal that was signed late last month.

But Washington says the current level of violence by the Taliban is unacceptable, and that it risks drawing both sides into a vicious cycle that undermines peace.

The State Department released a statement on Tuesday.

It said that the Taliban is killing too many Afghans and that the situation must change.

The US-Taliban deal is aimed at ending more than 18 years of war.

It would see the US withdraw forces from the country and the Taliban refrain from attacking the US or its allies.

But one of the major obstacles is that the Afghan government was left out of negotiations.

The Taliban and the government have been at odds over terms of a prisoner swap.

But Reuters is now reporting that Kabul has agreed to release 1500 Taliban prisoners in the coming days.

In return, the Taliban will reportedly release 1000 government troops.

NHK